From the Editor’s Desk

by Liz Kramer | February 15, 2012 | February 2012, Newsletter

by Shannon Suo

Happy 2012! By now you’ve received the emails about the SSPC Annual Conference to be held in New York in May. The theme for this year is Globalization and the Dilemmas of Multiculturalism and we have scheduled the meeting immediately following the APA in Philadelphia so you can hop over to the Big Apple after visiting the City of Brotherly Love. We have speakers and topics that span the globe: Norway, France, Russia, Canada, Jamaica, Haiti, Chile, and the US.

The first keynote will be delivered by Rachid Bennegadi, Chair of the Transcultural Psychiatry section of the WPA and long-time SSPC member. He will be speaking on phenomenology, bicultural identity, and globalization. On Thursday morning in his new position as President of the APA, Dilip Jeste will deliver a keynote that introduces a plenary session on aging and culture. Author and family therapist Monica McGoldrick will launch Friday’s sessions with a keynote on culture in clinical practice, especially as it pertains to work with families.

The program has plenty to please every interest as we address spirituality, clinical care, psychotherapy, training, disaster psychiatry, politics, and social issues. DSM-5 will have its own session on Saturday, moderated by Renato Alarcon. And of course, there’s plenty of opportunity to chat with old friends and make new ones!